DITA topic menu

When a DITA topic (of any kind) is opened in XMLmind XML Editor, the XML menu becomes the DITA menu and this menu is populated with items which are specific to DITA topics. This reference contains a description of such menu items.

Table editor

This table editor may be used to edit simpletables as well as CALS tables. Note that using this table editor, or simply saving a topic, or checking a topic for validity, guarantees that the cols attribute of a tgroup is up to date. That is, you may forget about the cols attribute, XMLmind XML Editor will always compute it for you.

Menu	Item	Description
Column For a command in this menu to work, click anywhere inside a cell.	Insert Before	Insert a column before column containing specified cell.
	Insert After	Insert a column after column containing specified cell.
	Cut	Cut to the clipboard the column containing specified cell.
	Copy	Copy to the clipboard the column containing specified cell.
	Paste Before	Paste copied or cut column before column containing specified cell.
	Paste After	Paste copied or cut column after column containing specified cell.
	Delete	Delete the column containing specified cell.
Row For a command in this menu to work, click anywhere inside a cell² or explicitly select a row.	Insert Before	Insert a row before row containing specified cell. Note: Note that row editing commands are enabled, not only by implicitly or explicitly selecting a table cell or any of its descendants, but also by explicitly selecting a table row.
	Insert After	Insert a row before row containing specified cell.
	Cut	Cut to the clipboard the row containing specified cell.
	Copy	Copy to the clipboard the row containing specified cell.
	Paste Before	Paste copied or cut row before row containing specified cell.
	Paste After	Paste copied or cut row after row containing specified cell.
	Delete	Delete the row containing specified cell.
Cell For a command in this menu to work, click anywhere inside a cell³.	Increment Column Span	Increment the number of columns spanned by specified cell. Not relevant for `simpletable`s.
	Decrement Column Span	Decrement the number of columns spanned by specified cell. Not relevant for `simpletable`s.
	Increment Row Span	Increment the number of rows spanned by specified cell. Not relevant for `simpletable`s.
	Decrement Row Span	Decrement the number of rows spanned by specified cell. Not relevant for `simpletable`s.

Cross-reference tools

In addition to the following tools, cross-references are automatically checked each time the topic being edited is saved (Ctrl-S) or is checked for validity (Ctrl+Shift-V or the Check Validity iconic button found at the left of the status bar).

Go to Opposite Link End

An element having a conref, href or an id attribute must be implicitly or explicitly selected. Scrolls to and selects the opposite link end (if found).

Go to Next Link

An element with a conref or an href attribute must be implicitly or explicitly selected. Scrolls to and selects following similar link (if found).

Go to Previous Link

An element with a conref or an href attribute must be implicitly or explicitly selected. Scrolls to and selects preceding similar link (if found).

Go to...

Displays a dialog box listing all the fully qualified IDs⁴ defined in the document being edited.

This dialog box, which supports auto-completion, has three buttons:

Go to Target: Scroll to and select the element having selected ID.
Go to First Reference: Scroll to and select the first element referencing selected ID in its conref or href attribute.
Copy: Copy selected ID preceded by character "#" (that is, a ready-to-paste reference) to the clipboard.

Convert menu

This menu is absent in XMLmind XML Editor Personal Edition.

Convert to HTML: Converts the topic or map being edited to multi-page HTML. Requires the user to specify the URL of an output directory.
Convert to PDF: Converts the topic or map being edited to PDF. Requires the user to specify the URL of an output file.
Note: Generating PDF requires installing the "Apache FOP 1.x XSL-FO processor plug-in" add-on. Normally, this should have been done automatically when you installed this configuration. If this was not the case, simply use Options > Install Add-ons to do it.

DITA topic tool bar

When a DITA topic (of any kind) is opened in XMLmind XML Editor, buttons which are specific to this kind of document are automatically added to the tool bar. This reference contains a description of such buttons.

Button	Description
Convert to `i`	Convert selected text or implicitly or explicitly selected element to an `i` element.
Convert to `b`	Convert selected text or implicitly or explicitly selected element to an `b` element.
Convert to `tt`	Convert selected text or implicitly or explicitly selected element to an `tt` element.
Convert to `xref`	Convert selected text or implicitly or explicitly selected element to an `xref` element.
Convert to plain text	Convert selected text or implicitly or explicitly selected element to plain text.
Add `p`	Add a `p` after node selection or after caret at a location where it is valid to do so and where it makes sense to do so. Note: This command and all the following commands will never add an element inside a `p`, even it is valid to do so. These commands add elements always after a `p`. That is, a `p` element is always considered by these commands as being a plain paragraph and never as being a division.
Add list item	Add a list item of the right type after current list item. For this command to work, suffice to click anywhere inside an `sl`, `ul`, `ol`, `dl`, `choices`, `substeps`, `steps`, `steps-unordered`.
Add `ul`	Add an `ul` after node selection or after caret at a location where it is valid to do so and where it makes sense to do so (see note).
Add `ol`	Add an `ol` after node selection or after caret at a location where it is valid to do so and where it makes sense to do so (see note).
Add `dl`	Add a `dl` after node selection or after caret at a location where it is valid to do so and where it makes sense to do so (see note).
Add table	Displays a menu which allows to add a `simpletable` or a `table` after node selection or after caret at a location where it is valid to do so and where it makes sense to do so (see note).
Add image	Displays a menu which allows to insert an `image` at caret position; OR add a `fig` (containing an `image`) after node selection or after caret at a location where it is valid to do so and where it makes sense to do so (see note).
Add `section`	Add a `section` after node selection or after caret at a location where it is valid to do so and where it makes sense to do so (see note).
Edit referenced topic	Open in XMLmind XML Editor the topic referenced in the `conref` or `href` attribute of selected element. If this document is already opened in XMLmind XML Editor, this command brings its view to front and makes it the active one.
Browse the DITA reference manual found on the OASIS Web site	Use the Web browser to display the documentation of the element explicitly or implicitly selected. (Contributed by Mark Fletcher.) Requires to be connected to the Internet because the reference manual of DITA elements is found on the OASIS Web site.

DITA topic bindings

When a DITA topic (of any kind) is opened in XMLmind XML Editor, additional keyboard shortcuts and additional drag and drop facilities which are specific to this kind of document are automatically made available to the user. This reference contains a description of such user input/command bindings.

Keyboard shortcut	Description
Enter	Inside a `p`, splits the `p` in two parts. Elsewhere, normal behaviour.
Del	At the end of a `p`, if there is no node or text selection, joins this `p` with following sibling `p` if any. Otherwise, normal behaviour.
BackSpace	At the beginning of a `p`, if there is no node or text selection, joins this `p` with preceding sibling `p` if any. Otherwise, normal behaviour.
Ctrl-Enter	Inside a `p` or inside any list item, inserts same element after this one.
Ctrl+Shit-Enter	Inside a `p` or inside any list item, inserts same element before this one.
F2 e	Edit referenced topic
Esc w	Converts text copied to the clipboard using an external application (Web browser, word processor, etc) to one or more `p` elements. Then paste these paragraphs after implicitly or explicitly selected element.
Ctrl-F1	Browse the DITA reference manual found on the OASIS Web site
Alt-Drag	Alt-Drag only works for elements having an `id` attribute. If an element having an `id` attribute is explicitly selected and if the mouse is dragged anywhere over this element, the URL of this element, including a fragment containing the fully qualified ID of the element, is made available for a drop. If the mouse is dragged outside the node selection if any and if it is dragged over an element having an `id` attribute, he URL of this element, including a fragment containing the fully qualified ID of the element, is made available for a drop. This kind of drag is mainly useful to build a DITA map by dropping `topicref`s. See Creating a DITA map using drag and drop.
Drop	If the drop occurs above an element having an `href` attribute other than an `image` (e.g. an `xref`), the dropped string is considered to be an URL and is used to change the value of the `href` attribute. Note that this kind of drop attempts to relativize the dropped URL against the location of the drop site. For example, if you drop "`file://home/john/doc/topic1.dita`" onto an `xref` contained in file "`file://home/john/doc/ref/reference2.dita`", its `href` is set to "`../topic1.dita`". Elsewhere, normal behaviour which is: Drop onto an `image` element Considers the dropped string to be the URL or the filename of a graphics file. Displays a dialog box allowing to copy or reference this graphics file for use by the `image` element. Drop elsewhere Considers the dropped string to be the URL or the filename of an XML document. Opens this document in XXE.

¹ or explicitly select a cell or an element having a cell ancestor

² or explicitly select a cell or an element having a cell ancestor

³ or explicitly select a cell or an element having a cell ancestor

⁴ For example, if a p has id attribute "disclaimer" and has an ancestor concept with id attribute "introduction", its fully qualified ID is "introduction/disclaimer".